SPORTS  The Layup Drill

The Layup Drill

By Jason Cruz

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In this edition, we take a look at Jordan Clarkson’s summer, a new team for Jeremy Lin, and a young tennis star finds a partner.

Clarkson represents Team Philippines

NBA veteran Jordan Clarkson finally had the opportunity to play for the Philippines National Basketball team after much talk and planning. Clarkson’s 27 points and 7 assists fell short in the Asian Games qualifier for the Summer Olympics in 2024. Team Philippines fell to Lebanon 85-81 this past August.

In addition to Clarkson, Team Philippines had Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-center that had eyed the NBA, but currently plays in the National Basketball League in Australia. Yet, it was not enough to defeat Lebanon.

Despite the loss, Clarkson was happy to finally represent the birthplace of his grandmother.

“I know all y’all looking at the bigger picture but a lot of this is for my grandmother,” Clarkson said to reporters after their loss to the Lebanese team. “Just trying to carry her name, make her proud, and still continue to this day. That’s probably the biggest reason why I still do and represent the flag and country to this day.”

Clarkson, who played last season for the Utah Jazz, indicated that international play for the Filipino National Team would not be just a one and done situation. In fact, he’s talked to Jalen Green, a current member of the Houston Rockets, to play for the team at some point down the road.

“We are talking about just going out there, plotting things to do out there.” Clarkson added, “I don’t want to say too much but yeah, we just appreciate the love from the Philippines.”

Lin signs with new team

Jeremy Lin turned 34 in August and continues his professional basketball career in China. Lin played the last two seasons with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He announced that this fall he has signed with the Guangzhou Loong Lions.

“The journey continues! Still feel like a kid getting to live out my basketball dreams,” Lin wrote on his Instagram account. Lin attempted an NBA comeback during the 2020-2021 season and played for the Golden State Warriors’ G League affiliate in January 2021.

Leylah Fernandez

see SPORTS on 6

King County moves to build park for Chinese goddess

By Mahlon Meyer

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

When Felicity Wang went through chemotherapy earlier this year, she prayed to Mazu, a Chinese goddess of the sea. On Aug. 30, she stood before a crowd of 110 people at China Harbor Restaurant and announced a step forward in the creation of a park in King County to the living goddess.

“She’s just like Jesus,” she said.

The journey to the establishment of a park in honor of Mazu began for Wang in 2015— and still faces numerous challenges.

But Wang celebrated the designation of Sept. 9 as Mazu Day in King County and the signing of a proposed agreement between King County and the North American Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, both of which were unfurled at the event.

King County Executive Dow Constantine said the agreement will “explore the feasibility of creating” the park in King County.

Describing Mazu as a “compassionate mother figure” in traditional Chinese culture, he said, “As new Chinese immigrants traveled to new lands, they would erect structures to honor Mazu for bringing them across the sea safely.”

Turning to Wang, he added, “And many now appeal to Mazu for other blessings.” He mentioned “world peace.”

The celebration included many groups affiliated with China and a few from Taiwan, apparently those that favor stronger ties with China.

“Belief in Mazu is a cultural tie that connects people of Chinese descent worldwide,” said Constantine.

King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci reverberated the theme, saying that Mazu “symbolizes the transcendence of earthly boundaries, protecting and helping people across cultures.”

Speaking above the crowd noise and eating, as is common in such settings, she added, “We’re taking a big step in honoring our Chinese and Taiwanese communities— and really, pan-Asian communities.”

In her opening remarks, Wang said the establishment of a park “is not political, it would not belong to China or Taiwan or Japan, it is for the global community, everybody who believes in her will be there.”

Wang said in an interview she had encountered challenges along the way, since she first proposed the park, including from local park officials accusing her of trying to establish a religious site.

“But I found a document from the United Nations, that in 2009, the organization declared that Mazu was not religious, but was a cultural tradition,” she said.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Mazu culture belongs to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Described as a folk tradition, rather than a religion, “belief in and commemoration of Mazu is an important cultural bond that promotes family harmony, social concord,

A rendering of the proposed International Mazu Culture Park.

see MAZU on 14

Japan Fest 2022

Mukai Farm & Garden on Vashon Island will host its 5th annual Japan Fest on Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This free community event includes Bon Odori, a summer dance for everyone, the Children’s Village, the nominoichi collectibles market, vendors, Taiko drumming, and, of course, food. Legendary keyboardist Philip Woo will also perform.

Japan Fest ends with a lantern labyrinth walk and a showing of Kiki’s Delivery Service at 8 p.m. at the Vashon Theater.

See mukaifarmandgarden.org/japanfest2022 for more details. 

TAITUNG

RESTAU R ANT

Established in 1935

• Catering • Cocktails • Valet parking • Banquet facilities

Hours Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.

Cambodian, Japanese among winners of Magsaysay Awards

By JIM GOMEZ

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A psychiatrist who helped fellow Cambodians recover from trauma resulting from the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal rule and a Japanese ophthalmologist who led an effort to treat thousands of Vietnamese villagers were among those selected for this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize.

The other winners were a Filipina pediatrician who has provided medical, legal and social help to thousands of abused children and their families, and a Frenchman who battles plastic pollution in Indonesian rivers.

The annual awards, announced on Aug. 31, are named after a Philippine president who died in a 1957 plane crash, and honor “greatness of spirit in selfless service to the peoples of Asia.” They are to be presented in Manila on Nov. 30.

The winners “have all challenged the invisible societal lines that cause separation and have drawn innovative and inspiring ones that build connections,” said Aurelio Montinola III, chairperson of the award foundation.

Cambodian Sotheara Chhim, 54, has led the treatment of thousands of traumatized survivors of the Khmer Rouge’s brutal rule and other patients in his country since becoming executive director of its Transcultural Psychosocial Organization in 2002, the foundation said. As a child, he was forced to work in Khmer Rouge camps for more than three years until their rule ended in 1979. He became one of Cambodia’s first psychiatrists after years of war and devoted his life to treating people, especially in rural communities, where he said “the mental health worker should be.”

Japanese ophthalmologist Tadashi Hattori, 58, was awarded the prize for training local doctors who have treated thousands of Vietnamese. He decided to become a doctor at age 15 when he witnessed the rude treatment that his

Sotheara Chhim

Tadashi Hattori

see MAGSAYSAY on 13

Ex-Malaysian first lady ordered to serve 10 years for graft WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave

By EILEEN NG

ASSOCIATED PRESS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian first lady Rosmah Mansor was ordered to serve 10 years in prison after being found guilty on Sept. 1 of soliciting and receiving bribes during her husband’s corruption-tainted administration, a week after he was imprisoned over the massive looting of the 1MDB state fund.

Rosmah was convicted on a charge of soliciting $42 million and two charges of receiving $1.5 million between 2016 and 2017 to help a company secure a project to provide solar energy panels to schools on Borneo island.

The court sentenced her to 10 years in prison on each charge, to be served concurrently, and a total fine of $217 million. She will be allowed to remain free on bail pending her appeal to higher courts.

High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Rosmah corruptly solicited bribes and received money as a reward for herself. He said her defense was a “bare denial, devoid of credible evidence.“

Earlier, Rosmah made an emotional plea from the dock, saying she was saddened and felt she wasn’t given justice. She said she had never solicited any funds or taken a single cent while she was heading charity foundations during her time as the prime minister’s wife.

She also decried as political persecution the events that led to Najib being jailed and her family being made to suffer.

“I do not even know the cost of the project. So I am just telling the truth and nothing else but the truth,” she said. “If that’s your conclusion, I surrender to God.”

Defense lawyer Jagjit Singh later told reporters that the amount of the fine was the largest ever in Malaysia’s history. He said Rosmah was shocked and upset, and that they plan to appeal to higher courts. Under the law, each charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the bribes solicited and received. Her conviction was another blow after Najib began a 12-year prison term after losing his final appeal in one of the five graft cases against him involving the Former Malaysian first multibillion-dollar pilfering of 1MDB. lady Rosmah Mansor Before the verdict, Judge Zaini also rejected Rosmah’s application to disqualify him after an alleged guilty judgment leaked online. Police said the leaked document was work done within the court’s research unit and was not the judgment, but Rosmah’s defense said they lost confidence the judge could be fair. The judge said he didn’t request the research and that those were not his grounds. He said he didn’t read the documents, had done his own research and wasn’t prejudiced against Rosmah. Malaysia’s top court earlier slammed the action of the website, run by a blogger based in England, as “a deliberate act” to smear the court’s reputation. The same website published a document it said was the Federal Court’s guilty verdict against Najib, just before the ruling was read out in court. The court has said that the leaked document was a working draft of the ruling. The court has filed complaints with police over both leaks. Najib and Rosmah have been hit with multiple charges of graft after the shocking ouster of his United Malays National Organization in the 2018 elections, fueled by public anger over the 1MDB scandal. UMNO has since returned to power after defections caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls. Rosmah’s trial shed light on her alleged sway in the government since her husband

By MARIA CHENG

AP MEDICAL WRITER

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization’s top director in the Western Pacific, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, has been indefinitely removed from his post, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Associated Press.

Kasai’s removal comes months after an AP investigation revealed that dozens of staffers accused him of racist, abusive and unethical behavior that undermined the U.N. agency’s efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic in Asia.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff in the Western Pacific in an Aug. 26 email that Kasai was “on leave” without elaborating further. Tedros said Deputy Director-General, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, will “ensure business continuity.” Two senior WHO officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said Kasai had been put on extended administrative leave after internal

investigators substantiated some of the misconduct complaints. In a statement, WHO said it was unknown how long Kasai would be away. The U.N. health agency said the investigation into him was continuing and that it was believed to be the first time a regional director had been relieved of their duties. Kasai did not respond to requests for comment but previously denied he used racist language or acted Dr. Takeshi Kasai unprofessionally. In January, the AP reported that more than 30 unidentified staffers sent a confidential complaint to senior WHO leadership and members of the organization’s Executive Board, alleging that Kasai had created a “toxic atmosphere” in WHO’s offices across the Western Pacific. Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomics level.” Several WHO staffers working under Kasai said he improperly shared sensitive coronavirus vaccine information to help Japan, his home country, score political points with its donations. Days after the AP report, WHO chief

see WHO on 13

Earthquake kills 65, triggers landslides in southwest China

China accuses Washington of cyberspying on university

BEIJING (AP) — The powerful earthquake that set off landslides and shook buildings in southwestern China killed at least 65 people and injured hundreds, state media said on Sept. 6.

At least 16 other people are missing a day after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding county in Sichuan province, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau where tectonic plates meet and is hit regularly by quakes. The temblor shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million residents are already under a COVID-19 lockdown.

Power was knocked out and buildings damaged in the historic town of Moxi in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Garze, where 37 people were killed. Tents were erected for more than 50,000 people being moved from homes made unsafe by the quake, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

State broadcaster CCTV showed rescue crews pulling a woman who appeared uninjured from a collapsed home in Moxi, where many of the buildings are constructed from a mix of wood and brick. Around 150 people were reported with varying degrees of injuries.

Another 28 people were killed in neighboring Shimian county on the outskirts of the city of Ya'an. Another 248 people were reported as injured, mainly in Moxi, and another 12 people were reported missing.

Three of the dead were workers at the Hailuogou Scenic Area, a glacier and forest nature reserve.

Along with the deaths, authorities reported stones and soil falling from mountainsides, causing damage to homes and power interruptions, CCTV said. One landslide blocked a rural highway, leaving it strewn with rocks, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

Buildings shook in Chengdu, 125 miles from the epicenter.

The earthquake and lockdown follow a heat wave and drought that led to water shortages and power cuts due to Sichuan’s reliance on hydropower. That comes on top of the latest major lockdown under China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy.

China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The temblor devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu, leading to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials. 

By JOE McDONALD ASSOCIATED PRESS

The U.S. actions “seriously endanger China’s national security,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. She also accused Washington of eavesdropping on Chinese mobile phones and stealing text messages.

“China strongly condemns it,” Mao said. “The United States should immediately stop using its advantages to steal secrets and attack other countries.”

The American Embassy in Beijing didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Security experts say the ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, and the Ministry of State Security also sponsor hackers outside the government.

Northwestern Polytechnical University, in the western city of Xi’an, is on a U.S. government “entity list” that limits its access to American technology. Washington says the university helps the PLA develop aerial and underwater drones and missile technology.

The Sept. 5 announcement accused the United States of taking information about the university’s network management and other “core technologies.” It said Chinese analysts found 41 “network attack” tools that it said were traced to the NSA.

Last year, a Chinese man, Shuren Qin, was sentenced to two years in prison by a federal court in Boston after he pleaded guilty to exporting underwater and marine technology to Northwestern Polytechnical University without

see CYBERSPYING on 13

BEIJING (AP) — China accused Washington on Sept. 5 of breaking into computers at a university that U.S. officials say does military research, adding to complaints by both governments of rampant online spying against each other.

Northwestern Polytechnical University reported computer break-ins in June, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center announced. It said the center, working with a commercial security provider, Qihoo 360 Technology Co.,

traced the attacks to the National Security Agency but didn't say how that was done.

China and the United States are, along with Russia, regarded as global leaders in cyberwarfare research.

China accuses the United States of spying on universities, energy and internet companies and other targets. Washington accuses Beijing of stealing commercial secrets and has announced criminal charges against Chinese military officers.

THRU FEB 19, 2023 EXHIBIT, “WE ARE CHANGING THE TIDE: COMMUNITY POWER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE”

The Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. wingluke.org/we-are-changingthe-tide

SEP

8

WHAT LAUGHTER TELLS US: ASIAN AMERICANS, COMEDY, AND BELONGING WITH MICHELLE LIU

7 p.m. Online event Register at https://bit.ly/3TyM6oL

CID/SODO EXPANDED SHELTER COMMUNITY MEETING

Hing Hay Park 5-6:30 p.m. friendsofseattlecid.com

9

2022 SCIDPDA ANNUAL FUNDRAISER: JAZZ IN THE COURTYARD

5:30 p.m. Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S., Seattle Tickets at bit.ly/scidpdajazz

10

C-ID NIGHT MARKET FESTIVAL

Seattle’s C-ID 1-9 p.m. Sign up to be a vendor, https://bit.ly/3zi6qmu

5TH ANNUAL JAPAN FESTIVAL

Mukai Farm & Garden, 18017 107th Ave. S.W., Vashon 11 a.m.-8 p.m. mukaifarmandgarden.org/ japanfest2022

11

LIVE ALOHA HAWAIIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Seattle Center 11 a.m.-7 p.m. seattlelivealohafestival.com

FUTURE ANCIENT SOUL HEALING FESTIVAL

Hing Hay Park & Donnie Chin Park 1-10 p.m. thefutureancient.org

15

BETTY LAU AND BRIEN CHOW, TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES TO SAVE THE CID

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. For zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail.com

17

AAPI HOMETOWN HEROES CELEBRATION

Terry’s Kitchen, 5625 119th Ave. S.E., Bellevue 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Registration at cacaseattle.org

WING LUKE MUSEUM HOUSE PARTY 2022

Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle 7-11 p.m. wingluke.org/houseparty

30

JIMMY O. YANG COMEDY SHOW

Moore Theatre, 1932 2nd Ave., Seattle 7 p.m. Tickets at https://bit.ly/3Kqr6Mw

OCT

3-9

JOIN US IN CAMBODIA TO EXPERIENCE A WEEK-LONG JOURNEY TO THE UNIQUE CAMBODIAN CULTURE

maxglobalexp.org

9

A FAMILY-FRIENDLY 5K/10K, “ALASKA AIRLINES DAWG DASH,” SUPPORTS UWAA’S GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Through UW’s Iconic Seattle Campus 9 a.m. Register at washington.edu/alumni/ dawgdash

15

CISC’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY FRIENDSHIP GALA

The Westin Bellevue, 600 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue 5:30 p.m. cisc-seattle.ejoinme. org/50thGala

19

WASHIN KAI PRESENTS, “WHAT IS HAIKU?”

UW, Kane Hall 210 7-8:30 p.m. Register at events.uw.edu/WhatisHaiku

NOV

10

ED HILL: LIVE

Here-After, The Crocodile, 2505 1st Ave., Seattle 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets at ticketweb.com

SPORTS from 2

However, he did not get called up to the main roster.

Lin’s playing time with the Ducks declined in the 20212022 season, when he averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists which was down from 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the 2019-2020 season. He also saw less court time with the Ducks. After his contract ended in Beijing, there was speculation that he would play in Taiwan. Lin is still very popular in the birth country of his parents and every professional basketball team in Taiwan would be lucky to land Lin. But, with the announcement, Lin will continue to play in China. Fernandez finds tennis partner through social media

Canadian Filipino tennis pro Leylah Fernandez is having a successful run in the mixed doubles tournament bracket of the U.S. Open. Fernandez and her partner, American Jack Sock, advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open mixed doubles bracket as of the time of this writing. The pairing of the 30-year-old Lincoln, Nebraska native and the 20-year-old Montreal, Quebec native may seem like an odd couple. In fact, it may be. Fernandez stated that her “dream mixed doubles partner” included Sock. It appears that he read that post because they paired up for the tournament.

After an impressive singles run in the U.S. Open last year where she made the final, she suffered an upset loss in the second round. However, Fernandez is still playing with Sock in the U.S. Open.

“Doubles is just so fun,” Fernandez told reporters during the week. “Even though there may be fans in the stands, because there’s more players on court, there’s always a few laughs here and there.”

Perhaps the tennis odd couple will make a longer run in the tournament. Sock is a veteran standing at 6-foot-3, while Fernandez just turned 20 years old and is 5-foot-6. 

Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

View the solution on page 14

AssuntA ng

Publisher assunta@nwasianweekly.com

John Liu

Associate Publisher john@nwasianweekly.com

Ruth BAyAng

Editor editor@nwasianweekly.com

hAn Bui

Layout & Web Editor han@nwasianweekly.com

Account Executives

KeLLy LiAo kelly@nwasianweekly.com

John Liu john@nwasianweekly.com

geoRge hiRA ghira@nwasianweekly.com

The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.